Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482)

Features

Visa Summary Features

This visa, referred to as the TSS visa, enables employers to address labour shortages by bringing in genuinely skilled workers where they cannot source an appropriately skilled Australian. It facilitates targeted use of overseas workers to address temporary skill shortages, while ensuring that Australian workers get priority. TSS visa holders can work in Australia in their nominated occupation for their approved sponsor under one of three streams:

the Short-Term stream

the Medium-Term stream

the Labour Agreement stream.

Eligibility

StandAloneVisaFinderEligibility

You must have the skills to fill a position nominated by an approved business for an approved occupation.

Length of stay

StandAloneVisaFinderStay

One to four years – depending on your nominated occupation, the visa stream and your circumstances

Cost

From AUD 1,175

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For broader information on Australia's skilled visa programs, recent changes to these programs and the reasons for the introduction of the TSS visa -
see Australia's skilled visas.

The streams

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Short-term stream

This stream is available if your employer wishes to sponsor you (as an overseas skilled worker) on a temporary basis only in occupations listed on the Short-term Skilled Occupation list (STSOL) for a TSS visa - see lists of eligible skilled occupations. It can be used to fill positions for a maximum of:

Medium-term stream

This stream is available if your employer wishes to sponsor you (as an overseas skilled worker) for periods of up to four years in occupations listed on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) or the Regional Occupation List (ROL) for a TSS visa - see lists of eligible skilled occupations.

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Labour agreement stream

This stream is available if your employer wishes to sponsor you (as an overseas worker) and has entered into a labour agreement with the Department - seelabour agreements.

Eligibility- All streams

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Who could get this visa

You might be able to get this visa, as an overseas worker, if you:

have been nominated for a position by an approved sponsor and that nomination has been approved - seeSponsors

meet any required skills and qualifications requirements including completing any skills assessments required

have substantially complied with any conditions that apply or applied to your last visa

meet health and character requirements

meet the requirements of the stream in which you apply.

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Approved sponsor

Before you can apply for a TSS visa, your proposed employer will need to lodge a nomination application for you. They will
only be able to do this if they are an approved sponsor or have at least lodged an application to become a standard business sponsor. Further information below is provided for employers on the sponsorship and nomination processes - see
Sponsors.

Character

You must meet certain
character requirements. You must provide a police certificate from each country you have lived in for 12 months or more during the past 10 years after you turned 16 years of age. This applies to you and all members of your family unit listed in your application.

Important: if you are sponsored by an
accredited sponsor, you are
not required to obtain police certificates from countries other than Australia provided you attach a reference from your accredited sponsor confirming that you are of good character and that you have not been convicted of any criminal offences. You
must still, however, provide any required Australian police clearances where applicable or when requested to do so.

Additional eligibility

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Short-term stream

You might be able to get a visa under this stream if, in addition to the above general requirements, you:

have worked in your nominated occupation, or a related field, for at least two years

are a genuine applicant for entry and stay as a short term visa holder (known as a 'Genuine Temporary Entrant' (GTE))

will be working directly for your sponsor or for an associated entity of your sponsor, unless the nominated occupation is exempt from this requirement - seeTSS legislative instruments.

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Medium-term stream

You might be able to get a visa under this stream if, in addition to the above general requirements, you:

have worked in your nominated occupation, or a related field, for at least two years

will be working directly for your sponsor or for an associated entity of your sponsor, unless the nominated occupation is exempt from this requirement - see
TSS legislative instruments.

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Labour agreement stream

You might be able to get a visa under this stream if, in addition to the above general requirements, you:

are nominated in an occupation included in a
labour agreement your employer has entered into with the Department

have worked in your nominated occupation, or a related field, for at least two years (unless this is not required under the labour agreement).

The visa

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About the visa

The TSS visa is for skilled workers who want to work in Australia temporarily. This visa involves a three-step process:

Step 1: a sponsorship application by the employer

Step 2: a nomination application for a skilled position by the employer

Step 3: a visa application by the proposed employee

The three steps above must be completed in order. You do not, however, have to wait for each application to be approved to move onto the next step.

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What you can do

This visa allows you to travel to and from Australia for the duration of your visa and:

if you are the primary visa holder, to work in Australia in your nominated occupation for an approved sponsor (or an associated entity of a sponsoring Australian employer)

if you are a family member, to work and study in Australia.

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Location

You can generally be in or outside Australia when you apply. However, you cannot apply for another Short-term stream
in Australia as the primary visa applicant if all of the below apply:

you have held
more than one Short-term stream TSS visa

you were in Australia when the application for your most recent TSS visa was made

this requirement would not be inconsistent with an ITO.

If you are in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa, a subclass 010 (Bridging A) visa, a subclass 020 (Bridging B) visa or a Subclass 030 (Bridging C) visa.

Applicants holding a substantive visa with a no further stay condition might still be able to lodge an application in Australia for this visa in certain circumstances - see
No Further Stay conditions.

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How long the visa lasts

This visa is a temporary visa. It lets you and any member of your family unit who has also been granted this visa to remain in Australia for the period specified in your visa grant notification.

Cost

For the visa applicant (that is, the nominee) the costs are:

short-term stream applicants: from AUD1175

medium-term and labour agreement stream applicants: from AUD2455.

Note: your employer is required to pay for any costs associated with the sponsorship and nomination applications. These costs must
not be passed onto you.

How to pay

You must make the payment when you apply.

Additional family members

There is also a fee for additional family members who are coming to Australia with you.

Estimate the cost of your application

The visa pricing estimator is an online tool that calculates the total cost of your visa.

Other costs

You might have to pay other costs, such as the costs of health assessments, police certificates, or any other certificates or tests. You are responsible for making the necessary arrangements.

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Family

For detailed information regarding who you can include in your application see
including family members in your application. The application must include documentary evidence of their relationship to you. Members of your family unit must be able to show that they meet
health and
character requirements.

Your obligations

Sponsors

This information is for employers who want to sponsor a skilled worker from outside (or inside) Australia for a TSS visa.

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Sponsorship process

Unless you are already an approved standard business sponsor or have executed a labour agreement with the Department, the first step to sponsoring an overseas worker for a TSS visa will be to apply to become a standard business sponsor. For information on the requirements and who can be a standard business sponsor - seeStandard business sponsorship requirements.

Note: A labour agreement is a formal arrangement negotiated between an Australian employer and the Australian Government. It may be used when the standard TSS program is not available. For information on the labour agreement program and how to request a labour agreement – seeLabour agreements.

Cost

How long the sponsorship lasts

Nomination

Existing approved sponsors or applicants to be an approved sponsor can nominate an overseas worker for a particular position in their organisation.

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Nomination process

For information on the nomination process, who can nominate, and who can be nominated - seeNomination requirements.

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Cost

AUD330

You must provide all relevant documents and pay the nomination fee when you apply.

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How long the nomination lasts

Your nomination is generally valid for up to 12 months from the nomination approval date, or until the earliest of the following occurs:

the day on which the applicant you identified in the nomination application is granted a TSS visa

the day we receive your written notification to withdraw your
nomination application

3 months after the ceasing date of your standard business sponsorship
unless a new sponsorship application was lodged before that ceasing date and it remains unfinalised

the day on which your approval as a sponsor is cancelled

the day on which your labour agreement ceases.

Your nomination must be in effect when a decision is made on the nominee's TSS visa application.

Note: An approved nomination does not cease before the processing of an associated TSS visa application is completed, including any merits review processes (even if this is longer than 12 months provided none of the other cessation events has occurred).

Follow these steps

Steps for employers

Follow these steps if you want to sponsor an overseas worker (and members of their family unit) for this visa.

There is separate information on the steps required for visa
applicants.

Lodge your sponsorship

Lodge your sponsorship online

You must lodge you sponsorship application online.

You must attach all relevant documents to your application in
ImmiAccount and pay the sponsorship application charge when you apply.

Complete sponsorship applications are likely to be processed more quickly. Incomplete ones might be delayed or refused
after two days if there is insufficient information provided to demonstrate that requirements are met.

Lodge your nomination

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Lodge your nomination online

You must lodge your nomination application online.

You must attach all relevant documents to your application in
ImmiAccount and pay the nomination application charge by when you apply.

Complete nomination applications are likely to be processed more quickly. Incomplete ones might be delayed or refused
after two days if there is insufficient information provided to demonstrate that requirements are met.

After you lodge

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Sponsorship decision

If your sponsorship is approved, we will send you a letter containing your sponsorship approval number.

If it is not approved, we will send you a letter stating:

why your sponsorship was refused

your rights (if any) to a merits review of the decision and relevant time limits.

Any nomination applications that you have lodged will also be refused unless you indicated in your application that you wish them to be withdrawn in the event your sponsorship was refused.

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Nomination decision

If your nomination is approved, we will send you a letter containing your nomination approval number.

If your nomination is not approved, we will send you a letter stating:

why your nomination was refused

your rights (if any) to a merits review of the decision and relevant time limits.

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Report changes in your circumstances

You need to contact the relevant visa processing office to report any changes in circumstances that could affect the processing of your application.

More information is available in
the Tell Us of Changes tab.

Steps for applicants

Follow these steps if you are an applicant for a TSS visa.

Before you apply

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Check the impact of any ‘No further stay’ conditions

Applicants holding substantive visas with no further stay condition(s) might be able to lodge applications for this visa in certain circumstances - where they have a genuine intention to do so - seeNo Further Stay conditions.

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Your passport

You need a valid passport or other travel document for this visa. If you plan to get a new passport, you should do so
before applying for your visa.

If you get a new passport after you have lodged your application, update your passport details using
ImmiAccount.

Gather documents

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Documents

Prepare your documents

You must provide documents to support your application for this visa. We can make a decision using the information you provide when you lodge your application. It is in your interests to provide as much information as possible with your application.

Documents
not in English must be accompanied by accredited English translations.

Upload scans of your documents when you lodge your application online. Do
not send us physical copies of documents through the mail unless we ask you to send them.

Apply

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Apply for the visa online

You must apply for this visa online. You must provide a Transaction Reference Number (TRN) for the nomination application that your employer has lodged on your behalf. You can request this information from your employer if you do not have this number.

You must provide all relevant documents and pay the visa application charge by when you apply.

Complete visa applications are likely to be processed more quickly. Incomplete ones might be delayed or refused
after two days if there is insufficient information provided to demonstrate that requirements are met.

After you apply

Wait for a decision

Your application could take longer if you have not provided evidence of meeting health and character requirements upfront or if you need to provide us with more information.

Outside Australia

If you apply for this visa from outside Australia, do
not make arrangements to travel to Australia until you are advised in writing that you have been granted a visa. Wait for a decision from us before you leave your job, sell your home or book your travel.

In Australia

If you apply for this visa in Australia, you could be eligible for a Bridging visa that allows you to stay in the country lawfully while your application is processed. If you are given a Bridging visa A, you can apply for a
Bridging visa B (BVB) to travel outside Australia while you wait for a decision.

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Provide more information

You can provide more information to us at any time until a decision is made on the application. You should do this via
ImmiAccount where possible.

We could also ask you for more information. Where this occurs, you need to upload the requested information to ImmiAccount before the specified date. After that date, we can make a decision about your application using the information that we have.

If another person gives us information that could result in you being refused a visa, we will usually give you the opportunity to comment on the information.

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Visa decision

If the visa is granted, we will let you know:

when you can use the visa

the visa grant number

any conditions attached to the visa.

If the visa is not granted, we will let you know:

why the visa was refused

your review rights (if any). Where applicable, your sponsor can apply for the decision to be reviewed

Form 929 Change of address and/or passport details (251KB PDF) for changing address and/or passport details. Email the completed and signed form to
929@homeaffairs.gov.auNote: We can accept scanned, photographed or electronically signed completed forms. If you have been issued a new passport, please provide a scanned copy or photograph of the biographical page of your new passport with the completed form. The biographical page of your passport is the page that contains your photograph, personal details and the issue/expiry dates. If you do not provide us with the details of any new passport issued to you, you could experience significant delays at the airport and might be denied permission to board your plane.

Withdrawing your application

You can withdraw the application at any time before we make a decision about it. To do this, complete
Form 1446 - Withdrawal of a visa application and attach it to your
ImmiAccount. All applicants 18 years of age or older, wishing to withdraw, must sign the request for withdrawal.

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Quick links

Estimate the cost of your visa

The following Visa Pricing Estimator requires you to answer the questions as accurately as possible to provide you with an estimate for lodging a visa application. The estimator might not include the second instalment of the visa application charge which is payable for some visas. Please note this is an estimate for a visa application, if you have already lodged your application and you want to change/add applicants please refer to the Visa Pricing Table. The Visa Pricing Estimator will give you an estimate of the charges you may need to pay to lodge a visa application. This is paid after you have made your application but before the visa can be granted. Read the department's full disclaimer. The Commonwealth of Australia does not guarantee the accuracy, currency or completeness of any material in the Visa Pricing Estimator.